smoke

verb

smoked; smoking; smokes

intransitive verb

1

a

: to emit or exhale smoke

b

: to emit excessive smoke

2

archaic : to undergo punishment : suffer

3

: to spread or rise like smoke

4

: to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning plant material and especially tobacco

especially : to smoke tobacco habitually

transitive verb

1

a

: fumigate

b

: to drive (something, such as mosquitoes) away by smoke

c

: to blacken or discolor with smoke

smoked glasses

d

: to cure or flavor by exposure to smoke

smoked ham

They smoked a rack of ribs.

… offers, among other things, a flavorful sirloin steak and barbecued smoked chicken.

—Andy Birsh

e

: to stupefy (insects, such as bees) by smoke

2

archaic : suspect

3

: to inhale and exhale the smoke of

smoke a cigarette

4

archaic : ridicule

5

slang : kill sense 1a

6

slang : to defeat or surpass decisively

7

: to hit (something, such as a baseball) with great force

Synonyms of smoke

• bomb
• dust
• overcome
• whip
• bury
• throw
• skin
• upset
• cream
• blow away
• smother
• master
• paste
• wax
• beat
• trim
• annihilate
• flatten
• take
• rout
• thrash

Examples of smoke in a Sentence

I caught her smoking a cigarette.

He was thrown out of school for smoking marijuana.

She smokes and drinks, but I don't.

Do you mind if I smoke in here?

That old car smokes when you start it up.

the smoking remains of a fire

We smoke our hams over hickory.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, freshman leadoff hitter Ryan Aldrich drew a walk to open the game before Jake Reyngold smoked a fastball into the left-center field gap that scored Aldrich and landed Reyngold at third. —Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026

Gas stoves are particularly bad offenders, but even electric stoves release particles into the air when food sizzles, sears, or smokes. —Angela Haupt, Time, 3 June 2026

Not smoking and staying physically active are the two most powerful modifiable factors for longevity, according to a February 2025 Oxford University study published in Nature Medicine. —Allison Palmer june 3, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026

The coolest of the goths were, of course, the ones smoking in front of the theater, already holding tickets and unworried about getting a spot in line. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing smoke

• anti-smoke
• a smoke
• blow smoke
• chain-smoke
• cold-smoke
• go up in smoke
• holy smoke
• put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it
• secondhand smoke
• smoke and mirrors
• smoke bomb
• smoke detector
• smoke-filled room
• smoke-free
• smoke grenade
• smoke inhalation
• smoke jumper
• smoke like a chimney
• smoke out
• smoke point
• smoke screen
• smoke tree
• there's no smoke without fire
• where there's smoke, there's fire

Rhymes for smoke

• bloke
• boeck
• broke
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• croak
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak

Kids Definition

smoke

1 of 2 noun

ˈsmōk 

1

: the gas of burning materials (as coal, wood, or tobacco) made visible by small particles of carbon floating in it

2

: a mass or column of smoke

3

: something that has little substance or value or that doesn't last very long

4

: something that hides

5

a

: something to smoke (as a cigarette)

b

: an act of smoking tobacco

smokelike

ˈsmō-ˌklīk 

adjective

smoke

2 of 2 verb

smoked; smoking

1

a

: to give off or exhale smoke

b

: to give off too much smoke

2

a

: to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning plant material and especially tobacco

b

: to use in smoking

smoke a pipe

3

a

: to drive away by smoke

b

: to blacken or discolor with smoke

c

: to use smoke to give (as meat or cheese) flavor and keep from spoiling

smoker noun

Medical Definition

smoke

verb

ˈsmōk 

smoked; smoking

intransitive verb

: to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning plant material and especially tobacco

especially : to smoke tobacco habitually

transitive verb

: to inhale and exhale the smoke of

smoked 30 cigarettes a day